Clasp attached necktie fastener



March 29, 1949. w. E. BLIEK CLASP ATTACHED NECKTIE FASTENER Filed April 15, 1948 Inventor Walter E. B/ie/r Patented Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLASP- ATTACHED NECKTIE FASTENER Walter E. Bliek, North Attleboro, Mass.

Application April 15, 1948, Serial No. 21,165

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to necktie fasteners broadly and has more specific reference to one which is fashioned, essentially considered. into looplike means to embrace the aprons of a. four=in-hand tie, said means embodying a resilient clasp which grips the outer fly of the wearer's shirt, in a well-known manner to hold the fastener in a set position.

In the line of endeavor under consideration, it is unquestionably desirable to all concerned, to so construct tie holders and fasteners that the aprons of the tie hang neatly and properly centered and at the same time have limited play in relation to the shirt and fastener to slide up and down vertically and to avoid pulling the knot to one side or the other. In addition, and

since aprons of ties vary considerably in widths,

' ing means be adjustable to accommodate such variations.

It is an object of the invention to provide extensible and retractible loop-like fastening means to embrace the tie aprons, said means having a clasp which is detachably connectible with the shirt of the wearer in a well-known manner.

; More particularly, novelty is predicated upon tie fastener means wherein the loop-like structure is characterized by complemental ornamental hooks, said hooks having shank portions extending into a sheath-like casing, and means being provided in said casing for adjustably hold ihg the shank portions in hand-set positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide structural means of the character herein stated, in which the aforementioned shank portions have spaced parallel laterally offset racks coacting with an intervening pinion, all of the parts being confined in the sheath-like casing to provide so-called automatic locking means for said hooks.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view showing a tie fastener constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the manner in which same is ordinarily used.

Figure 2 is a top edge elevational view, illustrating, in dotted lines, the manner in which the adlusting hooks are shifted in and out.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is an inside elevational view.

Referring now to the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, the so-called loop-like tie fastener is denoted, generally visualized, by the numeral 5, the same-being characterized by a relatively flat, rectangular sheath-like casing and a pair of duplicate, complemental ushaped clips I and 1a. Each clip embodies a shank portion 8 and a hook portion 9, the bill of which terminates in a suitable ornamental headv Hi. The ornamental hooks are in spaced parallelism in relation to the outer face of the casing 6.

Referring now to Figure 3, it will be seen that the respective shank portions 8 extend slidably through guide openings II in the transverse ends of said casing, and that the free end portions of the shanks are laterally offset to provide friction shoes 12, which shoes are in friction sliding contact with opposed parallel end portions of said casing, as shown. The inner opposed edge portions of the shoes are provided with rack teeth l3, and, therefore, provide oppositely shiftable racks and said racks are in mesh with the teeth of an idling pinion i4 mounted on a suitable fixed axle l5 at the center of the casing. These racks and pinion and frictional contacting surfaces between the shoe portions and walls of the casing provide hand-set locking means for the clips, or rather, the hook portions of the clips. It will be obvious, therefore, that the user may catch hold of the-hooks and move them toward and from each other, and they will stay put because of the retentive actions of the racks, pinion and friction shoes.

In addition to the loop means 5 for embracing the aprons of the tie T, as shown in Figure 1, I also provide on said means a suitable spring clasp l8 which is adapted, in use, to engage the customary fly on the front of the wearers shirt. There are manyand varied types of tie fasteners wherein a clasp is detachably. connected with the wearer's shirt and wherein loop means of different types is associated with the clasp and is adapted to either wholly or partly embrace the aprons of the tie. The loop-like fastener means is the gist of the present invention, and the novelty is predicated upon the U-shaped clips 1 and la having hook portions 9 with appropriate ornaments ill, and the casing with the rack and pinion means coacting with the shank portions of the U-shaped clips, whereby to hold the clips in positions to which they are adjusted by the user.

A careful consideration of the foregoing de= scription in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader 3 to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sumcient to clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. In a tie fastener of the class described, a relatively flat elongated rectangular casing, said casing being rectilinearly straight from end to end and opposite transverse ends of said casing having shank openings therein, a pair of extensible and retractible U-shaped clips, the inner corresponding limbs of said clips constituting shanks, said shanks .being snugly but freely slidable through the end openings in said casing and primarily located within the confines of said casing, said shanks having oflset terminal portions provided with teeth and constituting opposed parallel racks, a single pinion mounted for free idling in the intermediate portion of said casing and interposed between said racks, the remaining limbs of said clips constituting tie embracing hooks, the latter being in close spaced parallelism to the adjacent front'wall of said casing, and a clasp carried by the flat rear wall of said casing.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, wherein the front wall is wholly free of externally positioned projections.

3. The structure specified in claim 1, wherein the front wall is wholly tree of externally positioned projections and the rack on one limb is in direct sliding contact with an edge portion of the shank on the coacting limb and vice versa.

WALTER E. BLIEK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,817,475 Becker Aug. 4, 1931 2,060,040 Cobb Nov. 10, 1936 

